Friday, April 21, 2017

Show your support for housing equalitywith Fair Housing Matters productsnow available at the Hillocrian Store.

Hillocrian Creative LLC, publisher of Fair Housing Helper for Apartment Professionals, today announced the launch of the Hillocrian Store. Coinciding with Fair Housing Month, the store's debut product line, "Fair Housing Matters," pays tribute to the hard-fought civil right that protects people across the United States from housing discrimination.Fair Housing Matters products let you show your support for housing equality beyond Fair Housing Month and can make the perfect gift for a friend, family member or co-worker.Check out the press release on the Hillocrian Blog for more information.Visit the Hillocrian Store today to view the entire product line.

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Each year, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) issues a report based on its collection of housing discrimination data from across the United States in the prior year. Yesterday, the NFHA released its new 2017 Fair Housing Trends Report: The Case for Fair Housing. Highlighting the past year's patterns, trends and challenges, the timely report is a must-read for Fair Housing Month.

The report notes that an estimated four-million-plus instances of housing discrimination occur annually. However, the number of fair housing complaints actually filed in 2016 totaled 28,181, a slight increase from 2015. Disability-based discrimination continued to account for the majority (55%) of all complaints, while race-based discrimination was the second-most common type (19.6%). Overall, fair housing complaints concerning rental transactions continued an upward trend, now accounting for 91.5% of total complaints.

The comprehensive report includes many more findings, data, and thoughtful analysis, including a discussion of fair housing issues with online services such as Facebook and Airbnb. The report also offers recommendations for eliminating housing discrimination, strengthening fair housing enforcement, and expanding access to opportunity.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Did you know that 49 years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 into law? Title VIII of this landmark piece of legislation, also known as the Fair Housing Act (FHA), has served as the primary vehicle through which to seek redress for housing discrimination across the United States. The FHA was signed into law exactly one week after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968 into law on April 11, 1968.Image courtesy of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The path toward adopting comprehensive, enforceable anti-discrimination housing legislation was a hard-fought battle that spanned several generations.Take a moment to remember this landmark day in civil rights and housing by reading a "History of Fair Housing," courtesy of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Monday, February 20, 2017

If you're a landlord or property manager, it's essential to get familiar with fair housing laws to avoid discrimination complaints from tenants. Take advantage of our Presidents' Day special to get up to speed on fair housing compliance for only $4.99...Download Fair Housing Helper for Apartment Professionals for Kindle for just $4.99, a savings of 50% off the regular price of $9.99. Just visit the Amazon.com page by clicking here.You don't need an actual Kindle device to enjoy a Kindle eBook. You can read Fair Housing Helper for Apartment Professionals on your iPad, smartphone, or even your computer, thanks to free Kindle apps.

Friday, October 7, 2016

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has been busy rolling out initiatives aimed at broadening the coverage of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) to protect a greater number of individuals in a range of situations.

September brought new HUD guidance and final rules in three key areas of fair housing. Housing providers across the United States should be aware of these developments as they may affect their compliance risk. If you own or rent a home, or you're looking to move, it's helpful to keep these anti-discrimination protections in mind.Following is a summary:

Purpose: Ensure equal access for people in such programs regardless of their gender identity. HUD determined that its 2012 Equal Access Rule did not adequately address the "significant violence, harassment, and discrimination" faced by "transgender and gender nonconforming persons." This new rule modifies definitions of certain key terms so that "gender identity" is understood to be determined regardless of the gender indicated on a person's birth certificate, driver's license, or other identifying documents.

Applicability: Broadly applies to all housing covered under the FHA. (Note that housing providers that receive federal assistance have greater obligations to provide meaningful access to LEP applicants and tenants under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. For more information about this, visit LEP.gov, a federal interagency Web site.)

Purpose: Protect people from housing discrimination based on their limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English. This affects an estimated 9% of the U.S. population. LEP is not a protected class under the FHA. However, HUD has found that discrimination based on LEP often is not based on legitimate communication concerns but rather is a proxy for discrimination based on national origin, which is a protected class.

Purpose: HUD is addressing the issue of so-called "nuisance ordinances," which have been growing in number and often require landlords to evict tenants after seeking emergency services as the victims of domestic abuse and other crimes. The guidance helps address how to ensure housing providers don't discriminate—intentionally or not—against such people under these ordinances, by applying the three-step discriminatory effects burden-shifting analysis.

Purpose: Explain how housing providers may be liable for sexual harassment, mainly by identifying and detailing "quid pro quo" and "hostile environment" sexual harassment. HUD regulations along with court interpretations have made clear that sexual harassment is a form of discrimination based on sex, in violation of the FHA. This final rule offers more information about what constitutes sexual harassment under the FHA. This clarification echoes earlier HUD guidance of November 2008.

Sunday, July 31, 2016

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced recent action against landlords in two unrelated cases involving discrimination based on familial status under the Fair Housing Act:

June 14, 2016: The court entered a consent order in United States v. Brinson (D. Nev.), requiring Nevada landlords to pay $24,000 in damages to victims and a $12,000 civil penalty to the United States. The complaint (filed July 10, 2015) alleged that the landlords ran advertisements showing a preference against renting to families with children, and that they turned away a family with children who responded to one of the ads. (You can read the consent order here.)

June 23, 2016: In United States v. Dominic Properties, LLC (D. Minn.), a referral from HUD, the DOJ filed a complaint against Minneapolis, Minnesota, owners and managers for allegedly creating and enforcing rules that restrict children from being in the yard, hallways and other indoor and outdoor common areas of their apartment complex. (You can read the complaint here.)

Friday, November 27, 2015

If you're a landlord or property manager, it's essential to get familiar with fair housing laws to avoid discrimination complaints from tenants. Take advantage of Black Friday to get up to speed on fair housing compliance for only $4.99...Download Fair Housing Helper for Apartment Professionals for Kindle for just $4.99, a savings of 50% off the regular price of $9.99. Just visit the Amazon.com page by clicking here.You don't need an actual Kindle device to enjoy a Kindle eBook. You can read Fair Housing Helper for Apartment Professionals on your iPad, smartphone, or even your computer, thanks to free Kindle apps.

Monday, October 19, 2015

If you're operating in the dark when it comes to fair housing compliance, or you're fearful that you might get accused of housing discrimination (despite your good intentions), you may want to take advantage of a limited-time offer on affordable, convenient fair housing training...With Fair Housing Helper for Apartment Professionals, you go at your own pace and gain more confidence with every page. Now through October 31, 2015, enjoy 31% off when purchasing Fair Housing Helper for Apartment Professionals directly through the Fair Housing Helper eStore. Just use coupon code HTZSSK79.

Check this blog and follow @fairhousing on Twitter for announcements of new tips as they're added to the series.Plus, for more information about the book "Fair Housing Helper for Apartment Professionals" and getting your complimentary personalized certificate and badge, visit fairhousinghelper.com.

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) brought the Fair Housing Act (FHA) back into the spotlight on Wednesday by announcing a new rule about the long-neglected “affirmatively further fair housing” (AFFH) requirement.Find out what you need to know about the rule, including why it's controversial, by checking out my new guest blog post, entitled "HUD Breathes New Life Into the Fair Housing Act’s ‘Affirmatively Further Fair Housing’ Requirement" on Liz Bramlet's Blog.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Are you on top of fair housing compliance? Now's your chance to get up to speed on fair housing laws and manage your property with confidence...In honor of Independence Day, download Fair Housing Helper for Apartment Professionals for Kindle for just $4.99, a savings of more than 50% off the regular price of $9.99. Just visit the Amazon.com page by clicking here.You don't need an actual Kindle device to enjoy a Kindle eBook. You can read Fair Housing Helper for Apartment Professionals on your iPad, smartphone, or even your computer, thanks to free Kindle apps.

In 2008, the 40th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, Ron launched this blog to explore housing discrimination issues that are important, interesting, and relevant but that don't necessarily get much press.